A lighting bracket assembly has a base, a lens holder, a retaining ring and a light housing. The base has a locking channel and a top edge radiused to define a first sphere. The lens holder is disposed within the locking channel and is adapted to provide upon installation of the assembly an external surface continuous with a surface defining an opening into which the assembly is installed. The retaining ring is fastened to the base and biases the light housing. The light housing comprises a back portion with an outer circumference and a plurality of curved wing members defining the contour of a second sphere concentric to the first sphere extending from the back portion along the outer circumference. The light housing is adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force against the bias of the retaining ring.
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1. A lighting bracket assembly comprising:
(a) a base having a top edge radiused to define a first sphere and a bottom edge shaped to form a locking channel; (b) a lens holder disposed within the locking channel and adapted to provide upon installation of the assembly an external surface continuous with a surface behind which the assembly is installed; (c) a retaining ring fastened to the base; and (d) a light housing biased by the retaining ring, said light housing comprising a back portion with an outer circumference and a plurality of curved wing members defining the contour of a second sphere concentric to the first sphere extending from the back portion along the outer circumference, said light housing adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force against the bias of the retaining ring.
2. A lighting bracket assembly according to
3. A lighting bracket assembly according to
4. A lighting bracket assembly according to
5. A lighting bracket assembly according to
6. A lighting bracket assembly according to
7. A lighting bracket assembly according to
8. A lighting bracket assembly according to
9. A lighting bracket assembly according to
(a) a base having a top edge radiused to define a first sphere and a locking channel, said base adapted to be fastened to an installation; (b) retaining ring comprising a plurality of bushings; (c) a plurality of screws fastened into the bushings in the retaining ring through the top edge of the base, each of said screws having a screw head; (d) a plurality of springs disposed between the screw heads and the base; and (e) a light housing comprising a back portion with an outer circumference and three equally spaced curved wing members defining the contour of a second sphere concentric to the first sphere extending from the back portion along the outer circumference, said wing members receiving pressure applied by the springs from the retaining ring to lock the light housing against rotational motion, said light housing adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force to the light housing against the pressure applied by the springs.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to reading light brackets and more particularly to a lighting bracket assembly suitable for use in aviation applications.
2. The Prior Art
A number of lighting fixtures are known which are designed to be recessed within a ceiling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,258 to Lundquist relates to an electric wall fixture having a universally mounted lamp for theatrical, architectural and commercial lighting.
The fixture includes a casing, a ceiling plate, a hollow spherical segment truncated on opposite sides to provide two circular openings, a yoke with arms which engage trunnions on the segment and a compression spring on a bolt above the casing. Pressing the arms together enable them to clear the trunnions to permit rotation of the yoke relative to the casing. The casing is supported in the ceiling by a plaster ring set in the ceiling having an integral out-turned flange at its lower edge, an annular plate providing a step at the exposed undersurface of the flange, and a ceiling plate seated on the ledge flush with the exposed surface of the ceiling. However, as shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,554,258, this design has a rather pronounced protrusion of the lamp beyond both the annular plate and the ceiling plate.
A number of protruding ball and socket assemblies for aircraft that permit the orientation of light are also known with three pronged bezel elements as a retention mechanism to hold the lens in place. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,227 to Aikens and U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,087.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,297 to Birk et al. relates to an aircraft reading light including a ball-shaped housing and a lamp support assembly that is normally retained in but removable from the housing. The lamp support assembly includes coaxial inner and outer sleeves and a lamp socket mounted on one of the sleeves. The inner sleeve is movable relative to the outer sleeve between a braced position in which the lamp support assembly is retained in the housing, and a released position in which the lamp support assembly is released for removal from the housing. The outer sleeve includes a number of longitudinally directed fingers each provided with an outwardly directed detent. To replace a lamp, the inner sleeve is manually forced upwardly into the housing, which frees the fingers from an abutting surface and provides enough clearance between the fingers and the inner sleeve to radially permit inward deflection of the fingers sufficient to free the detents.
Other patents of general interest are U.S. Pat. No. 2,782,295 to Schwenkler; U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,404 to Ozawa; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,004 to Schmidt, Jr.
Although a variety of lighting fixture assemblies are known at the present time, there is still a need for a lighting bracket assembly which provides an aesthetically pleasing flush surface on the passenger side of an installation and which is capable of directing light through the center of a fixed lens while allowing rotation at installation throughout a range of up to 20 degrees from center in any direction, without tools, and then locking in place.
A lighting bracket assembly is provided for use, for example, in airborne reading light applications, which offers significantly greater mounting flexibility then conventional designs for aircraft lighting systems. The lighting bracket has a base, a lens holder, a retaining ring, and a light housing, all preferably formed from molded plastic.
The base, which may have a textured surface, is preferably adapted to be fastened to an installation and has a top edge radiused to define a first sphere, and bottom edge which forms a locking channel.
The lens holder is disposed within the locking channel and is adapted to provide upon installation of the assembly an external surface continuous with the surface behind which the assembly is installed.
The retaining ring is fastened to the base and may include a plurality of stop members for limiting rotation of the light housing. Preferably, three stop members are spaced 120 degrees apart to limit rotation such that the light housing wing member opposite the stop cannot rotate free from the retaining ring.
The light housing is biased by the retaining ring and includes a back portion with an outer circumference from which a plurality of curved wing members extend. Preferably, three wing members are equally spread from each other along the outer circumference of the light housing back portion. The wing members, which may be provided at their bottom surfaces with a compliant material, define the contour of a second sphere concentric to the first sphere extending from the back portion along the outer circumference. The light housing is adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force against the bias of the retaining ring.
Preferably, the retaining ring has a plurality of screws mounted through a plurality of coil springs then through clearances in the top edge of the base and are fastened into the bushings. The wing members receive pressure applied by the springs from the retaining ring to lock the light housing against the base at a high friction interface preventing rotation. The light housing is adapted to rotate through an angular range of up to 20 degrees upon application of force to the light housing against the pressure applied by the springs.
This invention may also be embodied such that rotation is limited to a two dimensional arc crossing the vertical axis of the light source, but is not limited to these configurations.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:
The behind panel mount, directional lighting bracket assembly of the invention enables a light source to illuminate through the center of a fixed lens incorporated in an aesthetically pleasing, continuous surface, while permitting directional adjustment through an angular range of up to twenty (20) degrees. The bracket allows aircraft interior designers to create smooth contour passenger service units, devoid of the typical protrusions necessitated by conventional reading light mounting hardware.
The lighting bracket assembly 10 of a preferred embodiment is shown in
A standard reading light module 60, such as a B/E Aerospace AL5500 LED Reading Light available from the assignee of this application, preferably snap fits into light housing 50. As shown in
As shown in
Locking force is supplied to the interface between light housing wing members 52 and base 20 by retaining ring 40, shown in
As shown in
Lighting bracket assembly 10 also includes lens holder 30 as shown in
The behind panel mount bracket assembly of the present invention satisfies cosmetic requirements for a nearly featureless exterior surface, while providing easy, tool-free directional set up to within 20 degrees of vertical. Assembly 10 is installed by mounting the bottom of base 20 behind panel 70 using standard hardware such as screws 78 shown in FIG. 7 and then snap fitting lens holder 30 carrying lens 32 into base 20.
Assembly 10 may be adjusted prior to installation of lens holder 30 by pressing upwardly and gently on light housing 50 against the spring tension. This action disengages the high friction interface between rotational support wings 52 and base 20 and allows light housing 50 to rotate against the smooth surface of retaining ring 40 to the desired position. Upon release, tension from springs 64 allows retaining ring 40 to recapture the rotational support against base 20 at the high friction interface, securely holding assembly 10 throughout normal shock and vibration conditions of the aircraft. This invention may also be embodied such that rotation is limited to a two dimensional arc crossing the vertical axis of the light source.
Once behind panel mount assembly 10 has been positioned, lens holder 30 snaps into base 20 from below. Lens holder 30 fills indentation 74 surrounding light opening 72, conceals all mounting hardware such as screws 78, and leaves a flat surface across the entire installation with lens 32 and panel 70 flush. Cosmetic continuity of the passenger service unit surface may be preserved by applying matching color and texture to lens holder 30.
The lighting bracket assembly allows directional adjustment for initial set up without tools, but is inaccessible to an aircraft passenger. It may provide directional adjustment of a light source such that the light beam remains centered at its point of travel through a fixed lens mounted flush with a panel exterior.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
Jul 20 2000 | GLOISTEN, JENNIFER L | Aerospace Lighting Corporation | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 011020 | /0913 | |
Jul 21 2000 | Aerospace Lighting Corporation | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Jul 28 2008 | BE AEROSPACE, INC | JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N A | SECURITY AGREEMENT | 021393 | /0273 | |
Dec 16 2014 | JP MORGAN CHASE BANK, N A | B E AEROSPACE, INC | RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 034805 | /0718 |
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